Discussion

Maalat - salted eggs?

I always thought the red eggs at Filipino markets were balut. However, recently I saw them at a farmers market with one cut in half. Sort of like looking at an accident I wanted to see the inside of a balut. Turns out they were labeled maalat. It was anti-climatic.

Anyway, how do you eat them and with what? Are they different from Chinese salted eggs?

My favorite way of eating Filipino salt eggs is a simple salted egg, tomato and slivered onion salad - drizzle with a squeeze of lemon or lime and add freshly cracked pepper. Some folks add fish sauce ("patis"). They are similar to Chinese salted eggs which can probably be used as a substitute.

Itlog maalat is the same as the Chinese salted egg, in fact I buy mine at the Chinese grocer. Classic way is the simple salad mentioned above, but I like to add a bit of sambal and vinegar to brighten the flavors.

Maalat means salty in Filipino. I usually make it with diced tomatoes, sliced shallots and eat it with cold rice or as a side dish accompanied with other dishes. I find when I buy them you can get duck, chicken or turkey eggs, try getting the duck egg ones because the yolk is much richer and better tasting imo.

The egg white is pretty salty so it's good to have a piece of the yolk with all bites. I eat it simply with sliced tomatoes and rice. Sometimes I like it as a side dish with something not quite as salty.